Elsa’s POV
The morning sun is already high when the first of the guests arrives, spilling light across the polished floors and gilded edges of the grand entrance. I move among them, a tray balanced on my forearms, each step measured, each movement precise. The goblets glint, catching the sunlight, and I force a smile as I hand out glasses of sparkling water and wine, murmuring polite greetings that feel hollow in my mouth. Each Alpha nods, exchanges the briefest of pleasantries with me before moving on, but I don’t hear their words. My ears are tuned to other sounds, the subtle murmurs, the low, familiar laughter that tells me Ryan is here, somewhere, smiling, greeting his old friends.
I catch a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye as he laughs with a visiting Alpha, his features rel
